Drinking, driving destroyed lives

Published 1:07 am, Sunday, September 12, 2010

Denis Foley's Sept. 5 article caught my eye for two reasons. First, I think this is a huge problem that no one wants to acknowledge or talk about because he or she might have to change his or her own behavior. Second, it has directly affected my life.

My family moved to North Greenbush from Maryland in 1972. When I was in high school, a good friend of mine from Maryland was killed by a drunken driver on her 18th birthday. It left a huge impression on me, though I had not seen her for a few years.

I could not fathom that she was not here anymore. I know it had a devastating effect on her family.

Then in 2003 my nephew, Christopher Bascom, was killed in Schodack, less than a tenth of a mile from home by a man who fled the scene. The man had a history of drinking and driving, and had lost his license for a time in 2000. He had been drinking the day he hit Chris, decided to leave the scene and went home to try to fix damage to his truck.

Chris was three weeks shy of his 17th birthday. He was the only child of my brother and his ex-wife, and my parents' only grandchild. Chris' name graces that same DWI memorial stone in Troy that has Allison Bodnar's name on it.

It is very difficult to get people to acknowledge how much alcohol use impairs driving ability and judgment, especially the ones who always think they are in control. Every bit of awareness and every story told in public helps.

I hope someone will read this article and think twice about drinking and driving. If it stops even one person, it is worth it.